Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom or any of the characters. Danny Phantom is the sole property of Butch Hartman, Nickelodeon and Paramount global.
Blackmailed
Chapter 12: A Conflict of Suspects
Jack and Maddie were still trying to make sense of the whole situation to the Foleys. Jonhathan even stopped by to try and help, as he waited for responses from his connections.
But whereas the Foleys were accepting of the so-called evidence, Jack and Maddie were not and they tried to get the other couple to see that.
"This just doesn't make sense. We've known these kids for years, they couldn't possibly have done this..." Jack said.
"I agree with you, Jack. Something is fishy about all of this..."Maddie nodded, arms crossed as they kept trying to reason with Maurice and Angela.
They'd known for years and actually respected their parenting but they have had their differences. They'd been a little too quick to ground and blame their son recently, but Jack and Maddie still thought they were overall good parents.
However, it seems that they weren't as easy to convince like Damon.
After all, Tucker didn't make it easy for his parents to think that he was innocent lately.
"I'm sorry, Jack and Maddie, but you saw the evidence and you heard what was said..." Maurice said.
"Look, I don't know what stories you heard but Tucker is a good kid and he certainly wouldn't put a computer virus in the schools system..."Maddie said.
"Yeah. If he wasn't, we'd never let Danny hang out with him..." Jack said. "Trust me, I'm an excellent judge of character!..."He said, unaware of how ironic he was being.
"At least when not counting Vlad..." Tucker, Val and Jazz all thought as the Fenton's continued.
"And Sam's a good kid, in spite of her parents attempts to make her spoiled rotten, just like them..." Jack added.
"Eh... to a degree..." Valerie said under her breath, not sure what else to say.
"I might not have known either kids for long, but they are much better friends to my daughter than her old group. And I believe in the term: Innocent until proven guilty..."Jonathan added.
"Jonathan is right. The kids wouldn't do that kind of stuff unless they were being controlled by ghosts..." Jack said, still convinced about that theory.
Tucker's parents, however, were unconvinced.
"Jack. Maddie. We appreciate how much you care for Tucker and are sticking up for him but he's obviously been getting in a lot of trouble lately. It's gotten out of hand..." Angela said, sounding upset.
Maurice nodded.
"Yes, it has and he think it's time that Tucker face the consequences for his actions..." He said as Jack, Maddie and Tucker were shocked at his parents words.
"I don't believe this..." Tucker mumbled, as his mother then stood by her husband's side.
"I think that we're done here. I'm sorry, but you have to accept that sometimes kids do bad things and they have to eventually face the music for it..."Angela said, refusing to doubt his guilt.
"Or you're being fooled!..." Jack said flatly.
"Look, as much as we want to believe Tucker is innocent, the evidence doesn't lie. Plus, the school faculty wouldn't have any reason to lie to any student's parents. They are convinced that Tucker is responsible for what happened and he should pay for it..."Maurice said with a stern look.
"Who told you that baloney?!..." Maddie asked, or rather, demanded an answer.
She felt this was ridiculous!
"Look, I know that Tucker isn't perfect. Sure, I heard from Danny that he can be a bit of a flirt, but he is a TEENAGER!..." Jack said, emphasizing the last word.
"Jack's right. Practically everyone at that age acts that way with all the hormones going around in their bodies. Even Jazz has moments where she can be like a typical teenager instead of her normally mature self..." Maddie stated.
"Mom..." Jazz mumbled, embarrassed as the adults continued.
Angela thought about it and conceded.
"Fair point.." Angela admitted, knowing how puberty can be like.
Heck, she and Maurice were like that in high school too after all.
"He does take a bit after me... but still, what they showed us..." Maurice said, recalling the evidence.
"Those pictures are still being examined, and we will learn soon if they are forgeries or not..." Johnathan pointed out, before someone spoke up.
"I noticed no one asked MY side of the story!..." Tucker pointed out.
"Then where exactly were you when you were called?..." Maddie asked, wanting to be sure about something.
"The movie theater. I was with Valerie, so she can tell you that I'm telling the truth..." Tucker said, which caught his mother's attention.
"Oh, you were on a date? Why is this the first we are hearing about it?..." Angela gushed.
"Not the time. It's not the time to talk about a girl our son is drooling over..." Maurice said, before looking at Maddie.
"What does that have to do with anything?..." He asked.
"Think about it...the movie theater is 20 minutes away from the school by car. Let's assume that he walked there, that'd take him anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour at best. Also...what time did the incident take place?..." Maddie asked.
"At 3:30, according to the time stamp..." Angela answered.
"Okay, so...do you think Tucker could get from here to there in such a short amount of time? Even a fit marathon runner wouldn't be able to get there in such short time. Much less Tucker. That's not even counting the return trip to the theater..." Maddie pointed out, knowing how out of shape the techno geek was.
She noticed that all the adults in the room went wide eyed once they all added two and two together.
"Hmm...good point..." Maurice said.
"Yeah, Tucker only barely passed the Presidential fitness test. Barely..." Angela recalled as her son frowned.
The tech wiz teen took some offense to this reasoning, but decided that it would be best to let this go and hope for the best to come out of it. Still, he was glad his parents were actually listening now, just not for the reasons he was hoping for.
"I'm not that out of shape..." Tucker complained, feeling more insulted than defended.
"No, sweetheart, you are..." Angela said in a soothing tone, despite her words.
"I'm just glad that you're listening now..." Tucker said, being right but not in the way he thought.
Upon hearing their son's words and those of the Fentons, Maurice pondered.
"Fine, it's a possibility that Tucker couldn't feasibly make the trip..." Angela conceded. "Not without super speed that is..." She added.
Tucker frowned.
"Rudely honest, but not inaccurate...I guess. So does this mean that I not grounded from all my electronics?..."Tucker asked, hoping for miracle.
A miracle that, based on his parents' expressions, wasn't happening.
"You still used my computer to download games without permission, and not the free ones either. So you're not out of the woods yet..." Maurice reminded, recalling that bill.
"He's still mad about that?..."Tucker thought, before sighing.
"Well, that figures..."Tucker said as he rolled his eyes.
Meanwhile, Danny's parents continued to plead their case.
"Maurice, Angela...we're scientists. We use the evidence to prove our claims and we prove our points..." Maddie said.
"Tucker is your son. Can you honestly say that you believe that he would cheat? That he'd put a virus in the school computers or that he go so far as to harass girls?..."She asked, hoping to make the Foley's see reason.
"Or do you want to be parents like the Manson's or that snooty snobby flirt with the fake haired brat?..." Jack added.
Maurice and Angela looked at each other and looked over the facts.
Yes, Tucker has gotten in trouble in the past and he owned up to it before.
He also always told them that it happened and they were always told a ghost attack happened around the same time... either by the school sending an email or the news.
They recalled that Tucker also paid for repairs or replacements out of his own allowance and only asked them if he had to. That didn't sound like someone who'd plant a virus in a computer, or someone who harasses girls.
Sure, Tucker got into trouble but what kid didn't every once in a while?
However Angela's coworker had told her about how he heard from her son how Tucker misbehaving at school and did things that were frowned upon in her home. But if that really was the case, why didn't the principal or Mr. Lancer mention any of his stunts?
It didn't add up in the slightest. Did they jump to the wrong conclusion?
"Did we mess up?..."Maurice thought, worried.
"I think we might have made a mistake..."Angela considered, starting to see their side.
After a moment of processing this, they spoke up.
"Okay, I think it's very possible that we might have jumped the gun and blamed Tucker prematurely..."Maurice admitted, feeling guilty.
"Why did you do it?..."Tucker asked, wanting to know why his parents were so quick to turn on him.
His parents felt bad about what they've done and decided to admit their mistake.
"I'm sorry but...I have gotten some complaints from a coworker of mine...ones that I didn't want to believe but...when I saw those pictures...I guess that we went a little overboard and worried that it might have been true..." Angela said, surprising her son.
"A coworker? Who?..." Tucker asked as he, Jazz and Valerie was surprised.
"My coworker, Joan Baxter..." Angela said, shocking the teenagers.
"BAXTER?!..." Tucker, Jazz, and Val both exclaimed.
"She said that her son told her that you and your friends were menaces. I didn't believe her at the time but when I saw those pictures...I...I guess I went a little crazy..." Angela said, admitting that she was wrong.
"Me too. I'm sorry... it's...we didn't know what to believe..." Maurice said, feeling awful now.
All the while, their son was mad that he was framed by DASH of all people!
"Dash is the bully, not me!..." Tucker said, getting upset.
"He says that life's going to go downhill for him after high he can do whatever he wants until than...which includes making OUR lives worse!..." He said bitterly, upset that he was being called a troublemaker behind his back.
"He is right, Dash is a jerk and Danny and Tucker are his favorite punching bags..." Valerie added, angry.
"He stuffs people into lockers, has people do his homework for him and acts like he's the king of Casper high, and all because its his pathetic attempt to feel big and important..." Valerie said, thinking low about him.
Jazz nodded.
"Yeah, he really burying his chances at ANY future..." She said, agreeing with the others.
"It's true. We've tried to do something about it but their hands are tied since his uncle is the superintendent and threatened to withhold funding to Casper high if they expel him...though thankfully, he has been getting punished lately, serves him right. Bullying is never okay..." Maddie explained, upset with him.
"I have been hoping this would have been resolved long ago but I suppose that's wishful thinking on my part..." She added, still sounding bitter.
"Right, that's another case to work on... after keeping the kids in school..." Johnathan added.
"Note to self, make sure the teachers who turn blind eyes get blacklisted..." He thought, angry.
"They shouldn't get jobs in or outside of Amity Park. They're bad influences, especially if they side with those rotten punks. I'm just glad my princess no longer associates with that group..." He added.
He had no tolerance for bullies or those who abuse the system.
Anyway, upon hearing their son's words and those of the Fentons and Johnathan, Maurice pondered about this some more.
There were times Tucker came home with bruises, something that didn't make sense until now. It even got Angela to think twice about this whole situation too.
With this new information, it meant there was proof of Tucker's innocence.
"Alright, Fentons...you have my attention. If you can prove someone framed my son, ghost or otherwise, I'll take back every terrible thing I've ever said about you!..."He said, making them blink.
"You never said anything about us..." Jack pointed out.
"Out loud..." Angela whispered, getting a look from them.
"Look, we have nothing against you two and try and be open minded about your...careers ...but between giving Tucker ghost hunting gear as birthday presents since he was TEN the time you crashed your RV into OUR car and other cases of property damage...we're not your biggest fans of that..."Angela said.
Jack and Maddie frowned but conceded.
"Fair point..." Maddie muttered, hating herself for having no argument against this.
On the other hand, Jack kept trying to defend their past actions by mentioning that each of their antics were to help keep their town safe from ghosts.
"Keeping the town safe from ghosts is a thankless job but someone's got to do it..." He grumbled.
Angela nudged her husband into saying something. He gave in.
"Yes, Jack. We're sorry that we didn't stick up for you when Manson insulted you..." Maurice apologized for him and his wife.
"It's fine, I've been called worse by that snob..." Jack said "So, are you with us to find out whose behind what happened to our kids?..." He asked.
Maurice and Angela nodded.
"We are!..." They both said, deciding to give their child a chance to prove his innocence.
Tucker heard this and let out a sigh of relief.
"Took you long enough..." He said, relieved he wasn't under the threat of permanent grounding.
Now, Tucker had to help spring Sam and go find Danny and to figure out who was framing them.
"I hope we can get a lead sooner rather than later..." Tucker thought.
The techno geek was hoping that any of his friends had any ideas of how to take care of who's behind all this mess.
Meanwhile
Vlad was still in the middle of his evil plotting and his lunch losing at the same time. After spending 10 minutes puking his guts out, he went back to plotting to escape his nightmare of a marriage.
"I need to get rid of her. Like yesterday..." The mid-forties villain said with a stern expression.
Taking a deep breath, he was relieved he didn't feel sick at the moment
"Now... before I empty my insides too much..." He said, his brow furrowed as he continued plotting.
Vlad glances over at his monitor, a cold and calculating look in his eyes. His plan is set in motion, and he knows that it'll work.
As he continued his evil plotting, his "loving wife" was blissfully unaware of all of this as she continued to relax at his opulent Colorado home.
Alicia was in the middle of placing some orders. Mostly for her bigger and fancier wedding, as promised by her loving husband.
Right now, she was on the phone, buying one expensive thing after another.
"Yes, siree. We'll be taking the twenty foot ice sculpture of a bear, the three piece Scaremani suit, the wedding dress with the ten foot train and gold trimmings, the sixteen tier fudge wedding cake with white chocolate frosting and raspberry ganache...and bake a backup cake in case my sister's stupid husband destroys the first one. Knowing Jack, it'd be a smart move. And put it all on my h-... I mean, my fiancés credit card..." Alicia said, happy to have all that money available.
Having this much money at her side was another bonus.
"Yes, the one you've got on file from my previous order. All right now, bye..." She said before hanging up.
Alicia grinned.
"Everything was coming together perfectly..."She thought as she hung up on the fancy schmancy wedding planner whose number she found in Vlad's study.
She smiled, unaware he had that number to plan the wedding to her sister and not her.
Ironic, given that's who he truly wanted to marry.
"Who knew he was such a romantic? Planning out our wedding before he proposed and we got hitched. He loves me more than I thought.." She thought while giggling.
All of this wonderful.
Sure, it was a little expensive but Alicia wanted to show off to all Vlad's snooty rich people and those nosy paparazzi that she was good enough to be his first lady.
"They'll be so jealous. I bet Maddie wishes she had a man like Vlad!..." She said, giddy and imagining their envious faces.
She kicked back to relax.
A gleeful smile played on her lips as she imagined such a grand wedding, bigger than anything her previous husband could give her or Jack could give Maddie. She felt she finally had the life she deserved.
"It's all gonna be a hoot! Can't wait to move in with him at Amity Park. I think I'll like being his first lady while we work to start a family!..." Alicia thought dreamily, happy and content.
She could already imagine their happy future together and the eventual pitter patter of little feet, while she helped him run the town as his mayoress.
Mayoress, that was a word that she found in one of Vladdy's dictionaries, specifically the one he keeps on the book shelf in the living room...and it is pretty much one of her new duties as Vlad's wife once they make their marriage public.
"Huh, my ma was right. You do learn something new every day..."She thought, as she continued to do shopping...at her husband's expense.
Alicia wasn't usually a spendthrift and usually is a frugal person...but her every rich and loving husband did say that she was free to get anything her heart desired...though she was unaware he only said that under the effects of a potion that has already wore off.
Anyway, as Alicia lounged on the fancy sofa, she noticed an extravagant catalogue and the fact that she still has Vlad's credit card in her hand.
"Hmmm... I wonder if these fancy catalogues deliver all the way out here?I guess I'll find out. Vlad sure was a dear leaving me this card..." She said cheerfully, before she reached for the new cell phone that she bought on Vlad's dime.
"Howdy, I'd like to place an order for the diamond encrusted switch blade, the diamond encrusted shotgun case and the diamond encrusted hunting gloves..." She said, as she made expensive purchase after purchase.
Alicia continued her shopping spree, splurging with each purchase. while, she remained oblivious to her husbands hidden agenda.
Later
After getting the Foleys and Damon on board, the Fentons and Jonathan met up with Stella again to help the kids.
Star's grandparents had left to try talking some sense into Lancer and Ishiyama while the other adults tried another thing. With an unknown source providing what were doctored photos, they needed to cover all angles. Especially since Jack was convinced ghosts were involved, but being the world's most haunted town did provide some evidence.
If only a sliver.
Anyway, Damon, Angela and Maurice tried to call some connections to help, while the other adults continued to prove the kids innocence.
"As soon as I find the ghost behind this, I'm gonna peel them like an onion!..." Jack muttered, as he checked some of his weapons, including the Fenton peelers.
"I hope you do if it is a ghost, but in case it's human, leave it all to be. I'll tie them up in so much litigation that their grandchildren are gonna need lawyers!..." Johnathan said, sounding serious as he continued to make calls to his connections to help the kids out.
He sounded like his enemies would rather be ghosts.
Not that that would save them for the pain to come. Johnathan and the Fentons would make sure that whoever was responsible for this, no matter if it was a human or ghost, would suffer the consequences.
Little did they know they already hates who this person was.
With a serious look as he made the calls, Johnathan occasionally checked his cell phone to see when Solene would be heading to help with the legal fight against these false accusations on the teens.
Stella noticed, giving her conflicting feelings about this, but she pushed those emotions aside. Since this was about proving Star's innocence and they needed all the help they could get.
She had left a message with her attorney, who worked on a retainer for the Traville family.
With his help, Johnathan and Solene working together, the kids would be back in school by Monday, and this would all seem like a bad dream.
And yet, things still seemed like a nightmare for the mother. She pondered to herself about the nature of the frame-up.
"I can't believe anyone would do this to Star..." She muttered, scratching her chin. "Who would be so cruel?..."She muttered, wondering if Jack was right about it being a ghost.
She noticed she had a text from Jean-Luc, one asking about where Colette was, but she just sent a quick response.
"That will have to wait..." Stella muttered. "Right now, there are more important things at hand..." She thought.
While their parents were busy tackling the legal side of the situation, Team Phantom tried to come up with a list of suspects.
After all, this was probably a ghost thing, but this didn't seem like the kind of plan any of Danny's enemies would pull, as most would rather pull the direct approach.
There is still a slight chance it could be human too, but first there was evidence to be collected before jumping to any conclusions. If they pointed fingers at one of the ghosts, and they were innocent, then it would add more trouble to the mix. And knowing the vindictive nature of some of Danny's enemies, this could turn into a kangaroo court.
So the teens excused themselves to have a private meeting to discuss their suspect list and who might be the mastermind behind everything that's happened to them.
Star tried calling Danny, but to her surprise, there was no answer. They all sent calls and texts to him, but he hasn't arrived yet. It was rather worrisome, especially to the blonde girl of the group.
"Danny still hasn't answered. I hope that he is okay..." Star said, concerned about him but figured he was probably dealing with a ghost now.
After checking to make sure no one could hear them, discussions began.
"So, who do you think is behind all of this?..." Tucker asked out loud, deciding that it would be best to bring out the elephant in the room.
"Okay so let's rule out the obvious. Skulker is too obsessed with hunting Danny to consider sabotaging our lives, Freakshow's in jail, former agents O and K are idiots, and it's not some revenge stunt from the A-listers for Star dumping them as friends..." Valerie said, not believing her former friends would be smart enough to do that.
"I would consider the possibility of Spectra trying to make us miserable, but this is way too tame for her and I don't think Desiree would do this since I don't see anyone wishing for this specifically..."Star pointed out.
"And even I think Technus wouldn't go out of his way to put a virus into the computer system due to his love for tech, so that rules him out..." Tucker said, as they considered more options.
"It could be Vlad. We haven't seen him since New York..." Jazz whispered, finding it suspicious that none of them have heard anything from the fruitloop in a while.
He'd done something similar with her when she "ran away from home" to find the stuff Skulker had stolen for him, but at the same thing, she was doubtful as this didn't seem like his typical M.O.
He'd never tried ruining Sam and Tuckers lives before infecting them with ecto acne, so Danny would save him sure, but not ruin their lives. Not his style.
"You know, if Vlad was behind this, he'd be here totally gloating right now..."Tucker commented.
"And why would he'd leave Danny out? You and I both know that the old man is a total showoff and would definitely mock Danny-boo the first chance he got.. No, this doesn't seem like the froot loops style..." Star said, showing how much she's learned from being apart of Danny's Team after six months.
"True..." Jazz admitted, as they kept trying to think about possible suspects.
"You don't think Wufong broke out, do you?..." Tucker suggested.
"No, it doesn't make sense..."Jazz said. "The ghost of an ancient sorcerer, with next to no knowledge of the modern world, suddenly knows how photoshop and the American school system work?..." She pointed out.
"That's true..."They all nodded.
"What about your evil ex grandmother who still seems to think that money and lineage were everything...and that she is somehow the victim?..."Jazz suggested, as she turned to Star.
"No way, last I checked, she is still living like a hobo in Switzerland, so she was out..." Star said.
"Oh, yeah..." Jazz said as they considered more suspects.
There has to be someone they're missing. Someone with a grudge with all of them, yet with the tendency to go through such hoops to cause misery.
Again, while Spectra seemed to fit the case, the situation felt too tame to be her right now.
"I just wish we had more clues..." Star said, hating this.
Soon, the adults returned and even brought in another ally to help them, Solene.
"Thanks for coming to help Solene..." Jonathan said.
"Indeed, we appreciate it..." Maddie said.
"Anytime. Now let's evaluate the evidence. I need to know every detail, stat..." Solene said with pen and paper in hand.
"Well, for starters, Star, Sam, Tucker, Jazz, and Valerie were all called into the principal's office, blamed by clearly edited photos. Whoever did this was in a rush, as some details don't add up, yet these photographed actions did happen. The teachers have yet to report these incidents because they don't want the police involved..."Maddie started, clearly upset.
"They're more concerned with image than justice..."Solene said, frowning at their attitude.
"True..." Stella said as the female lawyer evaluated the situation.
"No way those pictures would deceive a court of law. I'm honestly surprised that they would even fool anyone..." The female lawyer added, believing it'd be easy to acquit the kids.
"Guess the Casper High Staff isn't that observant..." Jack said ironically.
"You can say that again..." His wife said, nodding.
She was sure the teachers wouldn't accept that evidence had the accused been popular students. Just further signs of the American education system being misused.
As they continued to talk, Star and the others tried to deduced who the villain of this story is.
"Come on, who else would have a bone to pick with us?..." Star wondered.
"Maybe it was Donovan. You did tell us you ran into him a while back. Maybe he's trying to get back at you and Sam for turning down his proposal. Maybe to ruin your and our social life as bad as his?..." Tucker suggested.
"Seriously, who gets engaged as teenagers?..." He wondered, finding it crazy.
"Someone stuck in the middle ages..." Jazz answered automatically
"I was being rhetorical, but yeah..." Tucker said. "Sounds like Aragon. Maybe it was him?.." He commented.
"I doubt it..."Jazz commented.
"From what you guys told me, he hates the modern world and ideas, so I don't think he would come here with a plan that doesn't involve using his dragon powers, he likely doesn't know about technology and just like Wufong, he wouldn't know how to manipulate a photo using a computer..." She pointed out.
"Good point..." Tucker agreed. "Guess it's back to Donovan as our prime suspect..." He said.
Star shook her head, not seeing it.
"No way, Donovan and his friends are stupid. Not just stupid stupid, but REALLY stupid! They'd never be able to think up something this eleborate. And even if they did, they have been cut off and they don't have the money for that kind of photo shop..."Star said, not seeing those idiots being masterminds of anything other than in an ironic sense.
"And he still hates Danny, so there is no way that he'd leave him out of any revenge plot. Also, If anything, he'd go after Danny first in some vain attempt to get payback on him for knocking his teeth out, which that creep TOTALLY deserved for trying to get his dirty, disgusting lips on me! ..."She said with a shudder, recalling the unpleasantness when he kissed her cheek.
"True..." Tucker said, unsure why he even brought it up in the first place.
"Maybe this is all Ember's doing? Or Misty?..."Val suggested.
"No, there is no music angle..." Tucker said. "Ember's powers work through her music and we've kept an eye on Misty..." He reminded.
"No, someone else clearly wants us away from Danny. Plus, Misty's not a bad guy anymore, despite my own personal opinions of her..." Star said, frowning as she knock off two other likely suspects from her own list.
"Kinda surprised you're the one defending Misty..." Valerie pointed out, while her best friend frowned.
"I still don't like her I'm just stating the facts..." Star said, being frank.
"I got to admit that even if it was Ember wanting him for herself, this is not her style. Clearly, someone else was at work..." She added.
"Yeah but the question here is, who?..." Jazz pondered.
"It almost feels like the one behind all this isn't a ghost at all. But if that's true, then who could have done this to us and why leave Danny-boo out? Who would want us gone, but not my Danny?..." Star thought to herself, trying to find the one perfect culprit that filled every blank.
After a moment of thought, it soon hit her like a ton of bricks..
And she was livid!
"THAT SPOILED, FAKE REDHEADED WITCH!..."Star angrily yelled, getting attention from everyone.
Including the adults who were still going through the legal side of this mess.
"What?!..." Stella asked, stunned by that outburst.
"It has to be Colette, I don't know how she did it but that psycho framed us just to try and steal Danny again. I know it!..." Star yelled.
The other adults considered it, but Stella remained unconvinced due to her thinking that her step-daughter still has some sort of good in her. She then voiced out her denial to her daughter and being the only one in the whole room that was willing to do such a thing.
"Star, listen to what you're saying! I know that you and Colette don't get along, but she wouldn't take things to such an extreme as to frame you and Danny's friends!..." Stella said, still oblivious to the truth.
In the back of her mind, she could see a strand of hair, dyed red, with a mocking smile, taunting her. Sure, Colette and Star never got along, but she would never do something monstrous like this...would she?
"She can't, she just can't be the culprit!..." She thought, while her daughter kept yelling.
"Not getting along is the UNDERSTATEMENT OF THE CENTURY, Mom! Colette hates me, she's a selfish spoiled stalker who wants Danny because he's the only boy since puberty who didn't become a drooling doofus around her!..." Star snapped, while her mother flinched and tried to come up with a plausible excuse.
"That's a horrid accusation to make!..." Stella tried, asking why her step-daughter would do any of this for.
"Its the truth, she wants him because she can't have him and because I love him and she can't stand seeing me happy!..."Star continued.
"That's just crazy!..." Stella said, trying to defend her stepdaughter.
"Because she IS crazy mom!..." Star shot back. "Oh, when I get my hands on her, I'm gonna rip every last strand of her fake hair out!..." She said, imagining shaving her head right now.
"STAR!..." Her mother said disapprovingly.
"Face it, Mom. She's a heartless brat with no redeeming quality whatsoever! She's evil!..."Star yelled.
"She's not evil!..." Stella shouted, but noticed all the flat looks she was getting.
"Well, she has her flaws, sure. But I am sure that she wouldn't do this. She doesn't have it in her to orchestrates such a bizarre and pitiful act of revenge. I mean...you are just assuming things right now. Doesn't anyone else think so?..." Stella tried.
"Well, I can't say I'd be surprised if it is her..." Jonathan said, getting a glare from his former spouse.
"It definitely seems like something that she would do..." Maddie said, since she never did think that spoiled girl was as good as she acts in front of most adults.
"Yeah, she is bad apple that's rotten well beyond her core. She has proven herself to be just as manipulative as a ghost..." Jack said, as Georgia brought tea for everyone.
"That's an understatement. Except a ghost is more likable than her..." Georgia said, making another great point.
Stella heard this and got upset.
"You are all unbelievable! You can't all be jumping to conclusions right now. I know that Colette has been a troublemaker lately, but she would never do something so cruel...So evil. It's unthinkable!..." Stella insisted, still somewhat blind to the true nature of her step-daughter.
"You can't be serious!..." Star snapped.
"We can. What's more unthinkable is that you can still find it within yourself to defend someone like her!..." Jazz said, while Stella got more upset.
"Because she's my step-daughter! And I'm her step-mother and as a mother, I just know that there is piece of goodness in all of my children..." Stella tried, but her BIOLOGICAL daughter was not having it.
"Oh, come on, mom! Take off the rose tinted glasses already! She hates me! Colette has hated me since we were kids and she just can't stand seeing me happy! She's evil incarnated! In fact, if she died and went down below, she would probably just be sent back since she is that horrible!" Star yelled.
"ESTELLE?!..."Stella gasped in a horrified way, but her husband couldn't help but make comments.
"Wouldn't surprise me if that ever happened..." Johnathan muttered under his breath.
"Me neither. Heck, I'm willing to bet that you're not even her favorite step-Mother too!..." Star snapped.
"STAR!..." Stella gasped, horrified. "JOHNATHAN!..." She shouted, as she turned to her ex husband.
"I didn't say anything. But I can't say that I disagree with Star..." He said, while his daughter continued to rant.
"Yeah, and I'm still willing to bet that the only reason Jean-Puke hasn't traded you for a younger model is because of Pierre. He always made it clear that he wants a male heir..." Star said, while her mother refused to accept reality.
"That's not true! Jean-Luc loves me and our precious little Pierre!..." Stella insisted, but her daughter scoffed.
"Oh, please...he can't divorce you while Pierre's a baby because you'd be the one who gets him, unless he can bribe the judge!..." She yelled, actually fearing he'd do that.
"Star, my marriage to Jean Luc is none of your business!..." Stella said, firmly. "And no, he is NOT planning to divorce me! He loves me and Pierre. I know that he does, Star! I just know it!..." She said, still refusing to see Jean-Luc's true colors.
'I'm not some brain dead gold digger like his ex wives who never loved him and only wanted his money and prestige..."Stella thought still believing the French playboy and his daughters' lies.
"Denial, thy name is Stella..." Jonathan said, "I worry she might only see the truth when its too little too late..." He whispered to his girlfriend and Georgia.
Both women nodded.
"So true..." Solene said, noddingm
"Honestly, I still wonder how they even lasted long enough to even have a kid..." Georgia added.
Stella glared at that, not wanting to accept this as fact!
"Don't say that! I know you don't like my husband or Colette but none of you know them the way I do!..." She snapped.
"Mom, listen. You know I'm telling you the truth.." Star said, but her mother continued to defend Jean-Luc and Colette.
"Listen, I know Colette. I'm doing my best to raise her. And she wouldn't do it. Doesn't everyone deserve the benefit of the doubt?..." Stella asked.
"NOT HER!..." Everyone said at the same time, while the blonde woman cringed.
"Face the facts, mom. No one trusts Colette! She hates me, she hates my friends, she probably hates you and Pierre, she hates America, she hates Amity Park. Heck, she hates everyone but her dad and money!.."Star yelled.
"She doesn't even really love Danny, she's an obsessed stalker to him since he's just something for her to steal from me! She's a possessive, controlling witch and there's more than enough proof of that!..." She yelled.
Proof that Stella refused to acknowledge. Instead, she stomped her foot and crossed her arms.
"Again, can't say that I would be surprised if that was the case..." Jonathan said, and the .
"Stop it! You're all jumping to conclusions without offering any proof that she actually did any of this! None of you have any proof that she is the person who framed the kids! Disgusting. You're adults who are badmouthing a sixteen year old girl. Try to act your age and not sink to the kids level!..." Stella said, remaining stubborn of her obliviousness.
"This coming from a woman who still stomps her foot and eats chocolate bunnies when she is upset..." Jonathan snarked, offending his ex wife.
"I stopped doing that a long time ago!..." Stella snapped.
"Just yesterday?!..." Jonathan guessed, making her flinch.
"W-What? No...I mean...maybe...I mean... I'm working on it..." She stammered, getting looks of various reactions. "Ugh! We are not talking about this!..." She shouted.
"True, we're talking about that monster you have the misfortune of calling a stepdaughter ..." Johnathan said as everyone else all nodded.
Stella could only frown in displeasure.
"She is not a monster! I know that Colette has been acting like a troublemaker, but she had it rough since her biological mother abandoned her and her other stepmothers didn't treat her right. She deserves a break..." She said, blindly believing the lies Colette and Jean-Luc told her.
The others couldn't believe how stubborn she was.
"She must've taken after grandpa Richard, being blind to someone's faults..." Star thought, not recalling anyone else in her family like that.
Stella looked back to her daughter, still in deep denial and refusing to believe that her own stepdaughter could be heartless enough to do such a thing.
"You have no evidence to support your claim that she actually did this other than a sibling grudge..." Stella said, not believing Colette would do that.
"If that's a sibling grudge, then I'm glad to be an only child..."Valerie thought
"Mom, the only thing that's really unthinkable is that you still think that she has any good inside her at this point. She has been a nightmare to me since I first met her!. Open your eyes, Mom. She hates Sam, Jazz, Valerie and Tucker almost as much as she hates me! She hates Amity Park and she'd probably throw a party if ghosts wiped the city off the map!..." Star said, while her mother looked slightly mortified after hearing all that from the teenage blonde.
"Where did I go wrong?!..." Stella wondered how she'd failed so much as a mother that Star would think so little of Colette that she'd think she'd resort to criminal behavior to get rid of her.
"Star, Colette isn't that evil and cruel and even if she was, she was home during the time stamp while doing her homework..." Stella told her.
"Yeah right..." Star said, knowing Colette had her mom fooled.
Star looked to Tucker and Jazz. They knew how evil and heartless Colette could be and how dark her obsession with Danny grew with every passing day.
They had a feeling that they knew that she was the one behind all this, but they didn't know how Colette managed to do all of it just yet. She covered her tracks very well.
Now, they had to uncover them before their situation became irreversible. Which could happen at any moment.
As they were unaware of what she was up to, Stella still came to her defense.
"Say what you want, I know Collette. I've been raising her for years now, and I can say she would never do something like this..."Stella defended.
"Stella, I know as a parent you have to try to see the best in your children, but Colette has caused one problem after another since you moved here..." Maddie tried to reason, having heard Danny gripe and complain about Colette with his friends when they thought they were alone for months.
Even without the full context as to why they were talking about nanobots or something about an empress, it didn't paint a pretty picture.
It may be possible that she's the perpetrator, but Stella wasn't hearing it.
"No, it's not. I know my daughters! I've raised Colette for years and she's a good girl. I know that. It's a mother's instinct. And a mother just knows!..." Stella said, defending her stepdaughter to the end.
"I guess that some mothers are willfully blind!..." Star snapped, earning an insulted gasp from her mother.
"Johnathan! Say something!..." Stella said, upset.
"I'll let her know if she says something I don't agree with..." Johnathan responded flatly.
With that, Stella huffed and turned her head.
Star felt a tear swell in her eye, barely holding it back with a sniffle. While she knew her mother was in the dark, pain built up. After all these months of reconnecting and building bridges, just for once, the girl wanted the mother to have her back against her horrendous step-sibling.
"She is still the prime suspect in my book..." Star said, upsetting her more even more.
"Ours too..." Everyone said simultaneously.
"Thank you. I'm glad to see that some people the truth..." Star added while her mother grew more upset.
"Estelle Joy Strong! That is enough bad mouthing your step-sister without any proof to backup your accusations! We still don't even know who took those incriminate photos in the first place! In this family, we believe in innocent until proven guilty!..." Stella yelled.
"Right, and if Colette's innocent, then I'm the queen of England..." Star said sarcastically while her mother groaned in dismay.
"Johnathan, help me out here..." Stella asked in desperation. "Please!..." She begged.
Her ex-husband simply rolled his eyes. Like Star, he couldn't believe how naive Stella was being when it came to Colette.
Her and that rotten father of hers were bad news from day one.
The girl lived up to every mean girl stereotype and every rotten stereotype about rich kids. She'd bullied Star since they first met, and that wasn't counting the number of increasingly concerning red flags when it came to Danny.
"The only decent Bevier I met was Pierre..."Johnathan thought.
He was not going to badmouth a baby, even if he was the son of the man who stole his wife .The boy's father, on the other hand, he could be hated as much as he wanted.
However, there was still one problem, a last puzzle piece...
"While I wouldn't be surprised if it was her, she does have an alibi...so until some evidence that can debunk Colette's 'airtight' alibi. She remains innocent until proven guilty..." Jonathan said, while using air quotes around airtight and innocent.
"But like Star, I still consider her the prime suspect..." Johnathan added.
"I guess I can't blame you all for thinking this way about Colette. But I still believe she's innocent..." Stella said sadly.
"You're the only one that does, so don't expect that to change, Mom."..." Star said with her arms crossed.
Everyone else nodded, which only made Stella sigh dejectedly and she lost it.
"Enough already! Whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty?..." Stella asked, highly annoyed that everyone was so convinced that Colette could do something so evil, so cruel without any proof.
"That actually applies to people that have a shred of innocence, Mom..." Star said with crossed arms.
"Something Colette doesn't have..."She added hatefully.
Again, everyone muttered in agreement in their mutual dislike for the spoiled brat.
Stella, however, sighed in defeat, very aware that she was not going to change their minds on the matter of Colette, who, for whatever reason, wasn't very popular among everyone in the room.
"I suggest that rather than pointing the finger at Colette, we instead move on to some more plausible suspects that could be responsible for framing all you kids..." Stella said, still convinced in her stepchild's innocence.
"Let's look into that Baxter boy, I never liked him one bit..."She said.
"Mom, Dash can't even count to 20 without using his fingers. There is no way he'd have the brains to come up with this..." Star said, knowing how dumb the jock is.
"I agree. I sincerely doubt a meat headed jock who can't even say the word untutorable and who single handled my disproved my thesis that no one is untutorable could come up with this..." Jazz said.
"You don't need brains to pay someone to do the work for you. I know that..." Stella said as her daughter rolled her eyes.
"She would..." Jonathan whispered to Solene, who nodded with a shudder.
"I heard that!..." Stella snapped, irritated.
"Good, you were supposed to!..." Johnathan said.
His ex glared at that, as she became even more agitated now.
With that, Stella let out an unlady like growl but continued to defend her step child's innocence.
"Colette was home and I have proof about that, so it has to have been someone else!..." Stella insisted once more.
"Fine. You can investigate your suspects while I investigate mine!..." Star said, knowing that she and the others will have to take certain matters into their own hands.
"Now let's see aside from Colette, who else could be responsible?..." The blonde thought while rubbing her chin.
She had a long list of suspects, but her hated step sister was still on that list. And the very tippy top of her list and that wasn't about to change anytime soon.
The fruitloop who shared a lot of comparisons with her was number two.
While all the grown-ups were busy analyzing and discussing over each suspicious suspect that might be the mastermind behind this whole framed situation. From some students like Paulina and Dash, to the school faculty like some of the teachers, vice principal and even the principal.
All leads needed to be looked into. Human and ghost, no one is beneath suspicion.
However, the blonde member of Team Phantom just knew that the rotten fake redhead was still their top suspect and would need to be investigated. If not by the adults, then they'll do it themselves.
"I don't know how you did this Colette but mark my words, you won't get away with this!..."Star said bitterly, as she then cracked her knuckles.
"And when I can prove you're guilty, you're in for a world of pain!..." She whispered, but only her friends heard her!
"Didn't we already introduce her to one last time?..." Tucker whispered. "I think we may have to up the ante on this..."He suggested, and the others nodded.
Those words fueled the fire that was boiling Star's blood. The blonde was ready to redefine the entire terminological set of pain, just for Colette after everything that is happening.
"Now, I just need to figure out where to get any sort of proof..." Star pondered to herself, still having a gut feeling that she is right.
Star was broken out of her thoughts by a phone call, interrupting her bad mood. She saw that it was from her Danny boo.
"Its, Danny. Finally!..." She said, relieved to hear from him.
"Hey Danny-Boo, I'm sure you know what's going by now. We're still trying to figure out who framed is but I have a strong feeling who it is..." Star said, her brow furrows with concern as she answered.
"Starlight?..." Danny said, sounding hesitant and... Sad?
"Danny-Boo? Is something wrong?..." Star asked.
"Star...I need to talk to you. Can we meet up at the park?..."Danny said sadly.
Star's confusion deepened as she heard him, she just knew then that something was wrong. She didn't understand why he sounded so downcast.
"Danny? Seriously, are you okay?..."Star asked, concerned since he didn't sound like himself.
"I've been better. Trust me. You'll just have to wait. But it IS important..."Danny said, his voice sounding heavy with sadness on the other end of the line.
"Of course, Danny. I trust you. But seriously? Is something wrong?..." She asked, worried from his tone.
"Yes. but...but I can't tell you now...I'm sorry. It has to be face to face..." He said, before he hung up.
Star was silent and still growing increasingly worried. She looked seeing the concerned looks on Valerie, Tucker, and Jazz's face all four of them had the same thought going through their heads.
Something was seriously wrong with Danny!
"Okay, major red flag. I've never heard Danny like that. This is starting to sound like the end of the world..."Star said, wondering what is wrong with her man.
"Is something wrong, Princess?..." Jonathan asked, noticing her expression.
"I don't know yet, Dad but I'm going to find out..." Star said, as she quickly gathered her things.
She left her house, her mind racing as she wondered what might be troubling her boyfriend.
As she heads out the door, she can't shake the feeling that something was wrong and was about to get worse.
She had no idea how right she was.
-To be continued-
Next time on Blackmailed
The Good, The Evil and The Half Ghost in The Middle
A/N(1): I dedicate this chapter to my family, my friends and my love for God :)
A/N(2): Special thanks to NeoMark, 61394, BCW, Invader Johnny, Luiz4200 and Jay The Average Fanboy for all their help. You guys rock :)
REPLIES to my loyal and totally awesome reviewer:
61394, Jebest4781, 0713MM, pokemon fan 1991 and Guest(2): Thank you :)
RonaldM40196867 :
1) Sorry, no spoilers. I guess that we will have to wait and see what happens.
2) I guess that we will have to wait and see what happens.
3) Sorry, no spoilers. I guess that we will have to wait and see what happens.
4) She was trying to be nice when she invited him, but eventually regretted giving that jerk another chance.
5) That will be revealed later on.
6) Yes.
7) Sorry, no spoilers. I guess that we will have to wait and see what happens.
8) Sorry, no spoilers. I guess that we will have to wait and see what happens.
9) Yes.
10) Yes.
Guardian1989: Looks like it.
Luiz4200: He probably was in the guild with Ida.
Invader Johnny: Yeah.
CZS4: I guess that we will have to wait and see what happens.
Eecobeo: Thanks for the suggestion. I will consider it.
Guest(1):
1) Thank you :)
2) Probably.
3) Thank you :)
4) Yes.
5.) Thank you :)
6) I see your point.
7) I guess that we will have to wait and see what happens.
8) Not yet.
9) Maybe.
10) Maybe.
11) Maybe.
12) Huh?
13. I see your point. I never liked that scene either.
14) Huh?
15) Lol.
16) Maybe fire powers.
17) Maybe telekinesis or psychic powers.
18) Johnny and Kitty.
19) They probably tried but Vlad probably refused to see them when he was there. Jack due to his grudge and Maddie because he was likely embarrassed about his condition.
PhantomJedi240: How is this?
JDF Legacier Morphicon: Thank you :)
Here are my responses to your questions:
1) Hard to say.
2) Yes.
3) Maybe, but 't think Danny has any interest in a career like that.
4) Sometimes.
5) Totally.
PINK-samiam: Yeah.
:) I hope you enjoyed this! Remember to read and review :)